Many studies have been made on the functions of fatty acids in fats or oils in response to increasing health consciousness in recent years. For example, it has been reported that fish oil, linseed oil, Japanese basil oil, and the like, which are rich in α-linolenic acid, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), which are ω3 highly-unsaturated fatty acids, tend to reduce visceral fat amounts (Patent Document 1).
Further, α-linolenic acid is converted into eicosapentaenoic acid or docosahexaenoic acid in a human body, which has a high physiological activity, and hence the use of a fat or oil containing α-linolenic acid is desired.
However, the fat or oil rich in α-linolenic acid is low in thermal stability and oxidative stability, thus being easily degraded, and hence the practical use thereof is remarkably restricted from the viewpoint of taste and flavor.